EFFECTS OF INTER-PARENTAL CONFLICT ON YOUNG ADULT’S

ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP QUALITY IN TAITA TAVETA COUNTY: VOI

CONTITUENCY

DORCAS TAMA MWACHIA

MA/FA/00102/2018

RESEARCH PROPOSAL SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULLFILLMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF MASTERS DEGREE IN
COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGY

SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

MASENO UNIVERSITY
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS..................................................................................................ii
ABSTRACT......................................................................................................................iv
INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................1
1.1. Background of the Study............................................................................................1
1.2. Statement of the Problem...........................................................................................7
1.3. Purpose of the Study...................................................................................................9
1.3.1. Objectives of the Study.......................................................................................9

1.4. Research Questions.....................................................................................................9

1.5. Justification of the Study..........................................................................................10
1.6. Scope of the Study.....................................................................................................11
1.7. Significance of the Study..........................................................................................11
1.8. Theoretical Framework............................................................................................12
1.8.4 ATTACHMENT THEORY (BOWLBY, 1969)..................................................................................................12

1.9 Operational Definition Of Terms.............................................................................16

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW...............................................................17
2.1 THE CONCEPT OF INTER-PARENTAL CONFLICTS...............................................................................................17

2.2 IMPACT OF INTER-PARENTAL CONFLICTS ON YOUNG ADULTS...........................................................................18

2.3 THE LINK BETWEEN INTERPARENTAL CONFLICTS AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS QUALITY ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP........20

2.4 PRESENT STUDY......................................................................................................................................22

CHAPTER THREE.........................................................................................................24
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY...................................................................................24
3.1 RESEARCH DESIGN..................................................................................................................................24

3.2 AREA OF STUDY......................................................................................................................................24

3.3 STUDY POPULATION................................................................................................................................25

3.4 SAMPLE AND SAMPLING TECHNIQUE...........................................................................................................26

3.6 DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENTS...............................................................................................................26

3.6.1 Questionnaires....................................................................................................26

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 3.6.2 Interview Schedules...........................................................................................27

3.7 VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF THE INSTRUMENTS..........................................................................................27

3.7.1 VALIDITY............................................................................................................................................27

3.7.2 RELIABILITY.........................................................................................................................................27

3.8 DATA ANALYSIS.......................................................................................................................................28

3.10 RESEARCH ETHICS.................................................................................................................................28

REFERENCES................................................................................................................29
APPENDICES..................................................................................................................34
Appendix I: Work Plan...................................................................................................34
Appendix II: Budget........................................................................................................35
Appendix III: Marital Attitude Scale.............................................................................36
Appendix IV: Relationship Assessment Scale...............................................................37
Appendix V: Relationship Confidence Scale.................................................................38

iii
 ABSTRACT

Inter-parental conflict is a prevalent problem that threatens the romantic relationship in

young adults both in developed or developing countries. Romantic relationship developed
and maintained contributes to the overall well being and psychological health of partners.
Parental conflicts are negatively associated with psychological adjustments and romantic
relationship outcomes among young adults such as their intentions to marry or not to be
married. In Voi constituency more domestic violence have been recorded, this maybe a
contributing factor to the dwindling population size for the locals. This has led to
declining fertility rates among women as shown by 4.8 births per woman (2008-09
KDHS) as compared to 2.8 births per woman (2014 KDHS). The purpose of this study is
to examine the effects of Inter-Parental Conflicts (IPC) on young adult’s quality romantic
relationships. The study will be guided by the following objectives: To establish the
frequency of inter-parental conflict in families of the young adults; to examine the
relationship between inter-parental conflict and attitude towards romantic relationship
among young adults; to determine the relationship between inter-parental conflicts and
relationship commitment in young adults; to determine the relationship between parental
conflict and relationships satisfaction in young adults. The study will be guided by
attachment theory. The study will adopt a correlation research design and descriptive
survey. It will be carried out in 6 higher institutions in Voi Sub County which has
relatively higher number compared to the other sub-counties in Taita Taveta County with
a target population of 100. Simple Random Sampling technique will be used to select the
6 higher institutions while stratified sampling technique will be used to select the courses
the students take. Questionnaires and focused group interview schedules will be used as
data collection instruments. Face and content validity of the research instruments will be
verified by experts from the School of Social Sciences. Test re-tests and reliability
analysis will be done to establish reliability index of the questionnaire and internal
consistency of items respectively Standardized instruments that will be used to collect
data from the young adults include the Marital attitude scale, the Relationship
Assessment Scale(RAS), Revised commitment inventory. Correlation between IPC and
attitudes towards romantic relationship, relationship satisfaction and relationship
commitment will be established using Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient.
The significance of this study will help in policies formation and implementation on
matters of premarital education and counseling, couple counseling. It will also create
community awareness on the harm of destructive parental conflicts to the entire family.
PROPOSED BY
DORCAS TAMA MWACHIA - MA/FA/00102/2018
Sign: …………………………………….. Date: …………………………..
SUPERVISORS
1. Dr. Peter Onderi - School of Science and Social Sciences
Maseno University
Sign: …………………………………….. Date: …………………………..
2. Dr. Everline Nyokabi -School of Education
Maseno University

Sign: …………………………………….. Date: …………………………..

iv
 INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background of the Study

Inter-parental conflicts refer to verbal or physical conflict between two people who are

biological, adoptive, or step-parents of a child (Westrupp, Rose, Nicholson, & Brown,

2015). Children living in households marked by high levels of inter-parental conflict are

at risk for serious mental disorders in future (Holmes, 2013) and future development at

risk (Harold, Leve, & Sellers, 2017).According to (Feldman & Masalha, 2010)

established that a child’s social and interpersonal skills, problem-solving abilities, and

wider social competence is greatly affected by the inter-parental Conflict. Effects of

Inter-parental conflicts has led to a diagnostic condition known as ‘Child Affected by

Parental Relationship Distress (CAPRD)’ that was introduced into the DSM-5.Noting that

children may react to: Parental intimate partner distress, parental intimate partner violen

ce, acrimonious divorce, or unfair disparagement of one parent by another, by evidencing

heightened behavioral, cognitive, affective, or physical symptoms as a result of exposure

to parental relationship distress (Bernet, Wamboldt, & Narrow, 2016). Similarily to

(Harold & Sellers 2018) established that frequent, poorly resolved, intense and child-

related inter-parental conflict adversely affects long-term emotional, behavioral, social,

academic development, and future intergeneration.

Young adulthood is the stage of development, where people deal with the psychosocial

crisis of intimacy vs. isolation (Erikson, 1963). Successful completion of the stage results

in a sense of commitment and happier and healthier relationships, however, fearing to

commit to a relationship and avoiding intimacy can lead to loneliness and

isolation.Young adulthood is a unique stage of development that accompanies the

1
transition from adolescence to adulthood (Wildsmith et al 2013) as they gradually break

away from their original families and coordinate dyadic commitment with individuals life

plans during the transitional period of emerging adulthood (Shulman & Canolly, 2013).

(Settersten 2012) has described young adulthood as the Big Five life events: leaving

home, school completion, employment, marriage, and parenthood. The development of

romantic relationships often begins in mid to late adolescence, with 36% of 13 years

older, 53% of 15 years old, and 70% of 17 years old and above reporting involvement in

a romantic relationship (Collins, Welsh & Furman, 2009) and is a time in life when most

men and women explore intimate relationships (Wildsmith et al 2013). Questions about

how parental divorce could influence the experiences and decisions made by young

adults during this stage have been sparsely explored in past research. The ability to build

and maintain a romantic relationship in young adulthood is associated with fewer mental

health problems (Braithwaite, Delevi & Fincham, 2010; Connoly and Mc Isaac,

2011,).Overall belonging to romantic relationships is associated with positive

psychological adjustment (Adamczyk, 2017). In 2001, 20 percent of people aged 18 to 25

were married; 20 percent were living with a partner in a cohabiting relationship; and 35

percent were dating this indicate s the nature of the relationships are varied and the

dynamics within these relationships are important. (Wildsmith et al 2013). Ubaidi (2017)

assert that in the presence of parental conflict, parents may not have time or

psychological well-being to offer adequate contact, reassurance and comfort thus

affecting the child‘s development.

Romantic relationships are defined as relationships based on emotional and physical

attraction, potentially leading to long-term intimate relationships (World Health

2
Organization 2007) High-quality, satisfying romantic relationships are linked to healthy

development during adolescence and can set the stage for successful relationships into

adulthood (Wildsmith et al 2013). Young adults who perceive their relationship quality as

high tend to have more positive perceptions of personal wellbeing, greater self-esteem,

and more positive relationship behaviors than those who perceive their relationship

quality as low (Cui & Fincham, 2010).There are many factors that might influence the

formation and maintenance of romantic relationships. Some of these variables are

interpersonal, such as the ability of a couple to manage conflict or the level of

commitment between partners (Korn, & Mutso, 2010) while other variables are

intrapersonal, such as the views one holds about divorce and marriage (Cui & Fincham,

2010). In the scope of this paper, we focus to find out the relationship between Inter-

parental conflict and, (a) attitude in romantic relationship, (b) commitment in romantic

relationship among young adults and to find out (c).Satisfaction in romantic relationships

and to find out the (d) the frequency of the inter-parental conflicts among young adults.

According to (Cummings and Davies, 2010) cases where children are drawn into the

parental conflicts the negative consequences are often very dramatic. The frequency of

parental conflicts and the nature in which parents handle arguments are crucial to

children‟s adjustments. Further (Mills, Aquino, Hoegler ,Cummings 2020) asserted that

destructive conflict within the couple relationship negatively affects the family system

and may be particularly detrimental to adolescent development including the sense of

emotional security. Similarly, (Melo and Mota 2014) parental figures’ inability to resolve

their own conflicts triggers the children emotional states, negative emotional adjustment

and leads to the development of depressive symptomatology and a decrease in their

3
psychological well-being, interfering with all parameters of the children’s development.

This study nonetheless did not mention young adults it focused on adolescents and young

children of below age 12 years. Youth from families in which there is little cohesion are

disengaged from their families and do not find support within them (de Graaf et al. 2012).

In this regard, a child witnessing destructive parental conflict is constantly worried of the

possibility of losing one of the parents through separation thus developing anxiety

towards separation (National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development,

2017)

Likewise, frequent destructive conflicts may invoke mistrust towards relationship to a

child who may subsequently develop mechanism to avoid close relationship for fear that

such relationships are bound to fail (Mathil, 2016). Both fear of separation and avoidance

of close relationship influence the child‘s interaction with peers thus affecting their social

adjustment during adolescence (Packiaselvi & Malathi, 2017). They in turn tend to avoid

seeking support in their intimate relationships, which could compromise their romantic

relationship development. (Kreager et al. 2015). According to (Orpin, Papadopoulos and

Puthussery 2017) the spouse conflicts affects even the unborn child among pregnant

women in Nigeria. Similar to (Kusekwa 2016) in Dar es Salaam and Coast Region of

Tanzania observed that parental conflicts were seen to cause fear, depression, stress,

loneliness, anger and nightmares among adolescents. The findings of the preceding

studies suggest that interparental conflicts have an impact on the triangulated children,

however they did not capture the nature and the frequency of the conflicts on the young

adults.

4
Relationship satisfaction is the overall quality of life within a relationship (Vangelisti,

2004). According to (Parade et al. 2012) found that there is a positive association between

family cohesion and quality of romantic relationships in emerging adulthood, this is

because the competence in early relationship with family and peers becomes the scaffold

of the later romantic relationship (Boisvert and Poulin 2016).Personal relationships is

central to being human, and forming these relationships is an innate and biological

component of human behavior (Guerrero, Anderson & Afifi, 201l) . According to (Miller

&Tedder 2011) found that relationships will be satisfying for those individuals whose

expectations are met, while those whose relationships are incongruent with their

expectations are likely to feel dissatisfied. (Zagefka & Bahul 2020) established that an

aversion to disagreement between the partners was negatively linked with relationship

outcomes. (Fallis, 2014) found that sexual satisfaction reported to be a strong positive

predictor of relationship satisfaction. Despite the research done by (Ndung’u 2017) who

established that age and duration of stay together are some of the factors for marital

satisfaction still it creates a gap on whether the marital satisfaction will have an impact on

the young adults. Therefore this study aims to adds to the existing literature and conduct

it in Kenya.

According to (Ellison, Wolfinger & Ramos-Wada, 2012) found that there is an influence

of religion and race on the attitudes towards marriage. Despite the previous research that

are often characterized by decrease in marriage rates and a significant increase in divorce

rates, young adults still tend to hold positive attitudes towards marriage and aim to

nurture a marital union themselves (Ercegovac & Bubic, 2016). The study did not involve

young adults whose parents are cohabiting, unmarried and those who are co-parenting it

5
focused only on married parents. However (Finh 2018) did not find a significant

relationship between parental divorce and attitudinal outcomes. Despite the dissolution of

their parents’ marriage, participants still might feel satisfied with the relationship they

experience with their parents contrary to (Cummings & Davies, 2010) who found that

interparental conflicts lays a foundation for the family climate either constructive or

destructive conflicts. (Coninck, Doren, & Koen Matthij 2020) established that young

adults holds a more positive attitudes towards divorce, extramarital fertility, unmarried

cohabitation, and alternative family types than those in the earlier times. Such a child

develops negative attitude towards relationships with other people which in turn affects

their social adjustment as adolescents (Njenga, 2016). There are studies that investigate

attitudes towards marriage and divorce among young adults (BranchHarris & Cox, 2015;

Huang & Lin, 2014), very few studies have compared such attitudes with IPC. There is

need therefore to find out if attitude of the young adults who have experienced an

interparental conflict affects their romantic relationship in Kenya.

According to (Miles and Servaty-Seib 2010) established that college students from

divorced homes would exhibit lower levels of commitment to marriage or intimate

relationship than their counterparts from intact families. Similarly (Amato and DeBoer

2001) concluded that if parents reported low levels of conflict rather than high levels

before marital dissolution, divorce was more likely to be transmitted across generations.

Meanwhile in the absence of parental divorce, parental conflict is associated with less

relationship commitment and stability in young adults’ romantic relationships

(Braithwaite et al., 2016). This is evident with (Shanoora at al.,2020) to this perspective,

children who experience parental divorce and marital dissatisfaction have little

6
opportunity to learn the necessary interpersonal skills that facilitate the making and

maintenance of long term relationships affecting the quality of the relationship. However,

the research solely used questionnaires this may not adequately capture more relevant

data.According to (Gichinga 2003) and. Njenga (2016), found that marriage faces

challenges ranging from economic, social, political, religious, psychological and

emotional among others that causes the intra family conflicts. The findings of the

preceding studies provide a gap to study on the impact of the intra family conflicts on the

young adults commitment that little has been documented in Kenya.

According to Nan, Hongjian, & Esther (2017), the bond between the child and the

significant others is important for general well-being of the child. Ubaidi (2017) asserts

that bond between the child and the significant others functions as a guide for all future

relationships across the lifespan. Based on this assertion, it can be inferred that the

parent-child relationship significant others (in this case the parents) act as template for

future relationship, the children may imitate their parents while socializing with peer

(Kumar &Mattanah, 2017).

1.2. Statement of the Problem

Cases of parental conflicts in Kenya are widespread as evidence by persistent cases of

domestic violence reported and others go undocumented .Studies show that there is a

trend towards lower marriage rates and delayed first marriage age in both developing and

developed countries. The delayed entry into marriage that characterizes modern society

raises questions about young adults’ romantic relationship trajectories and whether

7
patterns found to characterize adolescent romantic relationships persist into young

adulthood.

Studies related to young adult’s ability to commit in a relationship have focused more to

socio-economic factors related to Oppenheimer’s theory despite the fact that young

adulthood is a time in life when most men and women explore intimate relationships. It is

not known if the psychological factors caused by IPC can contribute to the commitment

to a romantic relationship. Moreover, this study will tests whether interparental conflicts

impacts the young adults commitment to love and to be loved in Kenya.

Traditional values and cultural practices lay a foundation to the attitudes formed towards

romantic relationship among young adults. The formed attitudes may be also as a result

of the family system or the generational transmission of divorces. This unnoticed

pathways goes unrecognized creating an emotionally broken society and negative

attitudes towards romantic relationship has led to people delaying to marry or get

married. The result is indirectly proportional to the growth of population size. This study

will be conducted in Taita Taveta County which was among the lowest group with few

inhabitants in 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census.

As divorce and IPC are often correlated this study aims to examine unique influence of

IPC by itself on romantic satisfaction. Considering that the majority of research focuses

on the divorce and its impact on children’s wellbeing. On the short term effects and

consequences, it is necessary to explore the longer term effect and consequences of

parental conflicts on adult children romantic relationships.

8
 1.3. Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study was to establish the relationship between parental conflicts and

young adult romantic relationships in Taita Taveta County.

1.3.1. Objectives of the Study

1. To establish the the frequency of inter-parental conflict in families of the young

adults.

2. To examine the relationship between inter-parental conflict and attitude towards

romantic relationship among young adults.

3. To determine the relationship between inter-parental conflicts and relationship

commitment in young adults.

4. To determine the relationship between parental conflict and relationships

satisfaction in young adults.

1.4. Research Questions

1. What is the frequency of parental conflict in families of the young adults?

2. What is the relationship between inter-parental conflicts and attitudes towards

romantic relationship among young adults?

3. What is the relationship between inter-parental conflicts and relationship

commitment in young adults?

4. What is the relationship between inter-parental conflicts and relationship

satisfaction in young adults?

9
 1.5. Justification of the Study

The basis on which the study is justified comes from the increased incidences of parental

conflict in Kenya Orwet, Aleka & Gudo; Gatuo(2016). For example, Makena and

Muthoni (2015) statistical data reported of the filed court cases at Milimani law courts in

Nairobi arising steadily from 295 in the year 2005 to a total of 1246 between 2010 and

2015.

This shows that family factors have often been recognized as relevant and important in

this regard (Conger, Cui, Bryant, & Elder, 2000).

Cases of domestic violence in Taita Taveta region is rampant phenomenon heightened by

the COVID -19 period where women are found victims this is according to (Fraym 2021)

According to (NTV and Tuko .coke 2016) reported an interview with the locals

concerning the dwindling population of the Taita/Taveta community which is at 340,671,

Voi constituency having a population of 111,831 this is according to KNBS census done

in 2019. The reasons that were aired were as follows.

Taita men are difficult to settle with and ladies opt to marry outside the community and

other reports that many youths are caught with drug abuse which keeps them from being

focused on getting into a family life. This has led to local leaders campaign to encourage

Taita men to marry hoping this will save the situation.

The study aims to establish a relationship between interparental conflicts of families in

Voi constituency and its effects on young romantic relationship for youths who are 18

years and above.

10
 1.6. Scope of the Study

The study will focus to establish the relationship between Interparental conflicts and

young adult romantic relationship in Taita Taveta County; Voi Constituency in 6 higher

institutions. While there are many people affected by parental conflicts, this study

focused on emerging adults who are or have ever been in romantic relationship and this

formed the population scope of the study. The variables considered in this study include;

Interparental conflicts, frequency of interparental conflicts, attitudes towards romantic

relationship, romantic satisfaction, romantic commitment.

1.7. Significance of the Study

The findings of this study will be helpful when developing parent education programs for

awareness creation on the harm of destructive parental conflicts to their entire family that

will act as protective interventions for children.

The findings would help in the policy making process by the county government for

example developing parenting programs that are specifically targeted at supporting

parents to manage the effects of family breakdown on themselves and their children.

Findings from this study will provide awareness to other population to understand the

importance of family dynamics and its impact on emerging adult functioning and well

being.

11
 1.8. Theoretical Framework

The context of the current study, the attachment theory by Bowlby (1969) guided the

study in regard to the relationship between parental conflict and young emerging

romantic relationships

1.8.4 Attachment Theory (Bowlby, 1969)

Attachment theory was developed by Bowlby in the year 1969.Described attachment as

lasting psychological connectedness between human beings. Bowlby was interested in

understanding the separation anxiety and distress that children experience when separated

from their primary caregivers. It explains how the human is motivated to develop

relationships with others and to maintain a desired level of accessibility to attachment

figures or significant others. According to the proponent of the theory, Bowlby (1988),

the theory explains how long-term relationships between humans are formed and

maintained, with the basic principle being that, starting right from infancy; children have

a need to form a relationship with a primary caregiver for normal social and emotional

development.

While working with maladjusted and delinquent children in the 1930s, psychologist John

Bowlby noticed that these children had trouble forming close relationships with others.

He looked into the children’s family histories and noticed that many of them had endured

disruptions in their home lives at an early age. Bowlby concluded that the early emotional

bond established between a parent and their child is key to healthy development.

The necessity of forming attachments early in life has serious implications for children

who grow up in institutions or are separated from their parents when they're young.

Bowlby observed that children who grow up in institutions often don’t form an

12
attachment to any adult. While their physical needs are attended to, because their

emotional needs aren’t fulfilled, they don’t bond with anyone as infants and then seem

incapable of forming loving relationships when they get older. However, other events

have demonstrated that children that haven’t developed attachments as infants continue to

suffer from emotional issues.

Bowlby and James Robertson found that when children were separated from their parents

during extended hospital stays—a common practice at the time—it led to a great deal of

suffering for the child. If children were kept from their parents for too long, they seemed

to stop trusting people, and like the institutionalized children, were no longer able to form

close relationships. Fortunately, Bowlby’s work resulted in more hospitals allowing

parents to stay with their young children.

The four attachment patterns are:

 Secure Attachment: Infants who are securely attached use their caregiver as a

secure base from which to explore the world. They will venture out to explore

away from the caregiver, but if they're frightened or in need of reassurance, they

will return. If the caregiver leaves they will get upset just as all babies will. Yet,

these children are confident that their caregiver will return. When that happens

they will greet the caregiver with joy.

 Avoidant Attachment: Children who exhibit avoidant attachment are insecure in

their attachment to the caregiver. Avoidant attached children will not become

overly distressed when their caregiver leaves, and upon their return, the child will

deliberately avoid the caregiver.

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  Resistant attachment is another form of insecure attachment. These children

become extremely upset when the parent leaves. However, when the caregiver

returns their behavior will be inconsistent. They may initially seem happy to see

the caregiver only to become resistant if the caregiver attempts to pick them up.

These children often respond angrily to the caregiver; however, they also display

moments of avoidance as well.

 Disorganized Attachment: The final attachment pattern is most often displayed by

children who have been subject to abuse, neglect, or other inconsistent parenting

practices. Children with a disorganized attachment style seem to be disoriented or

confused when their caregiver is present. They seem to view the caregiver as a

source of both comfort and fear, leading to disorganized and conflicting

behaviors.

Attachment theory argues that, parental relationship with a child has a strong influence on

child development. At the early infancy stage, children have the capacity for mental

representation of their attachment figures and construction of ideas and expectations

about relationships with both parents and significant others .The theory further states that

the attachment behavioral system controls the attachment behaviors of children under

emotional distress. It argues that attachment figure who offers comfort, reassurance and

contact facilitates development of the child‘s well-being, emotional regulation and

fostering the expectation that close relationships provide safety and security .Therefore,

close relationship with parents is an important factor in adolescent development, since

14
this relationship functions as a template that is carried forward over time to influence the

development of new relationships

It was extended by Bartholomew (1993) based it on two main dimensions: 1) anxiety

toward separation and abandonment and voidance of close relationships.

The first dimension – anxiety towards separation and abandonment (also called the model

of self) corresponds to the level of fear of rejection in a relationship or abandonment.

This dimension is characterized by a lack of sense of self-worth. A person operating on

this dimension strategically hyper-activates an attachment system that generally focuses

on signs of threats in the relationship, and on the search for love and security.

Avoidance of close relationships (also called model of other) is characterized by a degree

of emotional suppression, self- reliance, and discomfort with closeness and

interdependence a person experiences.

People operating in this dimension are characterized by expectations that the partner will

be unavailable and non-supportive. They respond by strategically deactivating the

attachment system in an effort to reduce negative emotional states and feelings of

vulnerability to rejection.

15
 1.9 Operational Definition Of Terms

Parental Conflict: Refers to disagreements between parents which form part

of solution seeking mechanism over issues that the parents

maybe having divergent opinions.

Destructive Conflict: Refers to escalated parental disagreements and arguments

resulting form unresolved issue within the family and the

commonly characterized by hostility verbal and physical

aggression.

Constructive Conflict: Refers to solution oriented disagreement between spouses,

Which commonly ends up with amicable solutions and a

Characterized to understanding and consensus over thorny

issues within the family.

Relationship Commitment: As the desire and intent of an individual to maintain a

relationship long term.

Attitudes towards relationship: Is the beliefs and perception a young adult have

towards romantic relationship.

Relationship satisfaction: it refers to a person's overall evaluation of his or her

relationship and affective experience

16
 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 The concept of inter-parental conflicts

Disagreements are common among families. Today, and in the wake of the covid-

19 pandemic, many relationship partners find themselves disagreeing on many things,

some of which may lead to separation. However, handling disagreements at the family

level is key to your family's survival, which significantly determines how your children

develop. Based on Westrupp et al. (2015), any disagreement between parents is what we

refer to as inter-parental conflict. Any form of inter-parental disputes involving the

children, whether the parents are together or co-parenting, can negatively affect the

children and lead to their poor development in terms of how they form their relationships

with others in the future.

Research on interparental conflicts and their influence on children's development

dates back to the 1980s. The majority of these have often indicated that children brought

up as having maladjustments, which may adversely affect their cognitive, social,

biological, and educational functioning. Therefore, the quality of interparental

relationships greatly determines the child's or adolescent's cognitive functioning.

Witnessing conflict and anger can be aversive for any child and is often associated with

aggression and distress and other long-term maladjustment problems, including in their

romantic relationships. According to Parsa et al. (2014), children from high conflict

homes are often characterized with increased vulnerability to internalize and externalize

their problems, including physical and emotions.

17
 However, not all interparental conflicts have an equal impact on adolescents' or

children's maladjustment. Based on Arshad (2014), conflicts that are more intense,

frequent, and lasting for longer durations present more negative outcomes in terms of

maladjustment. Either, Ibabe et al. (2020) conducted a study on the frequency of

interparental conflicts and how it affects children's development and maladjustment. This

study indicates a positive correlation between the frequency of parental arguments and

children's level of maladjustment, including their conduct problems, insecurity, and anger

issues, among others. Although many of these studies rely heavily on self-reported

measures from their participants, the results are also supported by other studies utilizing

observational and laboratory approaches. One such study was given by Tucker et al.

(2013) and revealed that more frequent interparental arguments have a greater risk for

insecurity, distress, and helplessness among children.

2.2 Impact of Inter-parental Conflicts on Young Adults

Exposing children to inter-parental conflicts poses significant risks to their mental

health throughout their lifespan (Roberts, 2002)). Previous studies have documented

various difficulties for children exposed to interparental conflicts early, including feelings

of loneliness, sadness, alienation, and fear (Cui et al. 2011 & Braithwaite et al., 2016).

Either, Shen's (2009) research also showed that victims of inter-parental conflicts are in

danger of developing poor self-esteem and emotional distress during adolescence and

early adulthood when forming romantic relationships is critical.

A growing body of research has also suggested that exposing children to higher

interparental conflicts will interfere with their social development. Therefore, this has

been widely accepted as a risk factor for children's romantic relationship maladjustment

18
and is highly linked to other difficulties in their relationships at a later age. Based on

McIntosh (2003), building and sustaining romantic relationships requires children to

develop practical conflict resolution skills. This is because, unlike any other family

relationship where arguments can easily and quickly be solved through escalations and

submissions, romantic relations often call for adolescents to manage their differences by

balancing their personal needs with those of their romantic partners and the relationship

as a whole. Therefore, the egalitarian and voluntary nature of romantic relationships calls

for the parties to negotiate mutually and find agreeable solutions to any form of

disagreement. Therefore, using destructive conflict resolution tactics in front of the

children can hurt their future relationships. As a result, Robin & Foster (2002) research

also noted that over 35-40% of adolescents growing in conflict-prone homes would likely

struggle to handle arguments with their partners.

Nevertheless, sufficient research has also indicated that verbal and physical

aggression in front of children could shape the development of their romantic

relationships skills. Based on Hahlweg et al.'s (1998) longitudinal study focused on how

children develop their social skills, marital interactions of their parents provide a salient

opportunity for the adolescents to learn and establish their skills to maintain their

romantic relationships in the future. Since parents' romantic relationship is the first they

witness and connect with, individual differences and arguments shape their future

interactions. Lessons learned at any particular stage are incredibly informative when

establishing a more intimate relationship.

Therefore, the results of growing up with highly conflicting parents could

anticipate potential conflicts in their future romantic relationships. According to Chang

19
(2008), any interparental conflict is sensitive to the child's interpersonal conflicts and

sometimes fosters hypervigilance when dealing with conflicting partners. This sensitivity

could be generalized to their romantic relationships to manifest conflicting and

aggressive behaviors when having conflicting ideas with their partners. Either a study

conducted by De La Paz (1999) also revealed minors growing in violent marital homes

pose a danger in the way adolescents deal with aggression in their relationships. It

indicates that they often choose more aggressive behaviors and justify them when dating.

In support of this, Carlson (2000) also revealed that growing up in homes with intense

interparental conflicts predisposes children to destructive means of dealing with

conflicting behaviors. The researchers noted that any exposure to interparental hostility

could be a potential predictor of adolescents' verbal or physical attacks on their romantic

partners.

Likewise, adolescent exposure to interparental conflicts predisposes them

destructive conflict resolution tactics. While investigating the preferences of interparental

conflicts, Feldman et al. (1997) established that children's exposure to conflicts early

might result in negative expressions when dealing with conflicting behaviors. These

findings suggest that any form of interparental disputes could potentially risk adolescents'

conflict resolution behaviors.

2.3 Frequency of inter-parental conflicts in adolescent households

Though normal in romantic relations, the effects of conflicts can sometimes be

devastating on the adolescent wellbeing as well as social behaviors. Whether physical or

verbal, the prevalence of interparental conflicts determines how the adolescent respond to

their social interactions in the future. Based on Prueksaritanond et al. (2015) study

20
focusing on the prevalence and consequences of interparental conflicts in children, over

83.9% of families experience conflicts at one point in their family within the 12 months

of the study. The same study also indicated over 30.2% experienced conflicts

occasionally or seldom and 59.1% at least were experienced it once or twice every

month. Results also indicated that young adults were less likely to involve in conflicts

compared to adults.

In another similar study conducted by Mbuti (2017) focusing on the effects of

interparental conflicts preadolescent behavior using adolescent population in secondary

schools in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania established that over 21.1% of adult’s respondents

were involved in intense or frequent conflicts, while 74.4% reported involvement in

conflicts less often. Only 4.4% of the respondents noted not have experienced conflicts at

their homes. The authors of this piece of research also noted parental conflicts as the

major cause of stress, fear, anger, loneliness, and depression among adolescents. Either,

Orpin et al. (2017) in a review noted over 2.3% to 44.6% conflict prevalence for pregnant

women while the overall rate of interparental conflicts ranged between 33.1% and 63.2%

within the Nigerian population.

Back in Kenya, the prevalence of parental conflicts has seen higher numbers in the recent

past. The major cause of this, based on Njenga (2016) study is the factors influencing

intra family conflicts is the socioeconomic factors. However, the study also noted lack of

proper conflict resolution skills among the population. While agreeing with the results of

this study, Rev’d Odhiambo et al. (2013) in a an effort to examine the social dimensions

of parental conflicts within the Western part of kenya also noted that over 89% of the

respondents knew about marriages undergoing conflicts, while 81% knew of spouses who

21
continued to live in abusive marriages. However, there is little research focused on this

area, which leaves room for more research to establish how many families are undergoing

interparental conflicts in our society. Otherwise, the little data has indicated many

families are faced with high prevalent interparental conflicts, which may be the major

cause of adolescent’s maladjustments during romantic relationships.

2.4 The Link between Interparental Conflicts and Attitudes towards Quality

Romantic Relationship

As noted earlier, patterns of interparental conflicts are a significant predictor of

the quality of romantic relationships during adolescence or later at marriage. Therefore,

parents must understand they are major developmental precursors during the formation,

management, and sustainability of healthy romantic relationships of their children at later

stages in their life. Although all children are likely to witness their parents conflicting at

one point in their life, the intensity and frequency of those conflicts have detrimental

impacts on how children respond to their later romantic relationships. There are various

explanations why these two are potential mediating factors on how well children will

respond to conflicts in their later romantic relationships. A widely accepted and critical

exposition of this was given in 1977 by Albert Bandura in his Social Learning Theory

(SLT). According to the theorist, exposing children to frequent and more intense

interparental conflicts will likely cause them to transfer the same behaviors to their

relationships in the future. Since children first observe their parent's marital interactions,

it serves as good ground to learn the nature of romantic relationships. They can process

and store how their parents resolve arguments when they are married and replicate the

22
same strategies during adolescence or early childhood when they are likely to form

romantic relationships.

In light of the social learning theory, the family teaches conflict strategies to the

children when they are approaching romantic relationships and shapes their general

attitudes to romantic relationships and marriage as a whole. As a result, children brought

up in homes with frequently conflicting parents are likely to show destructive conflict

resolution intentions for their relations. Either, observing frequent and intense conflicts in

their parents' marriage may discourage them from getting into romantic relationships or

even marriage. Based on Kurdek's (1991) study, children with highly conflicting parents

often evaluate the cost and benefits of getting into romantic relationships or marriages, a

behavior that ends up shaping their attitudes towards marriage or the establishment of a

family. If the parents had destructive interparental conflicts, they have taught the child to

be suspicious or hesitant about any romantic relationship. Therefore, there is sufficient

support by empirical evidence to the theoretical predictions confirming that the quality of

parental romantic relationships shapes their children's attitudes towards marriage and

romantic relationships.

There is sufficient evidence to show that conflicts in romantic relationships could

result from mediatory factors between the interparental conflicts and the adult's couple

romantic satisfaction. Such empirical evidence was given by Cui et al. (2008) in their

empirical study when they examined the concept of interparental conflicts in White

undergraduate students involving 358 participants in the US. This study indicated a

significant correlation between the perceived interparental conflicts and the emerging

conflicts in a romantic relationship during emerging adulthood. This was, in turn, linked

23
to the perceived decrease in romantic relationship quality. Also, research results from Cui

& Fincham's (2010) study indicate that divorce and interparental conflicts negatively

correlate to the children's relationship quality.

2.5 Relationship between inter-parental conflicts and relationship commitment in

young adults

As seen before, interparental conflicts are a major predictor on adolescent quality of

romantic relationships. Stanley & Markman, (1992) defines commitment in romantic

relationship as the intent or desire of a person to continue maintaining the relationship

longer. Either, Le et al. (2010) noted that this is one of the strongest indicators of

romantic relationship resolution or dissolution. In their study on the transmission of

marital instability across different generations, Amato & DeBoer (2001) noted that

interparental conflicts negatively affects the degree of commitment held by adolescents

when in romantic relationships. While agreeing with results from this study, Amato

(2001) noted that the attributes of conflicting parents are perceived as “good enough” by

the adolescents which undermines the importance committing themselves in relationships

or marriages. However, a study conducted by Braithwrite et al. (2016) ruled out the

effects of interparental conflicts on divorce outcomes. Therefore, interparental conflicts

are seemed to play a crucial role in influencing adolescent commitment but this does not

apply when they end up divorcing.

Nevertheless, low or lack of romantic commitment has been linked closely with poor

relationship satisfactions which is the leading cause of relationship breakups among the

adult or adult spouses. Also, commitment has been identified as key player for romantic

relationships attitudes. Based on Braithwrite et al. (2016), adults who tend to see

24
marriage as not a lifelong or permanent commitment are less likely to show commitment

in their relationships. More so, that link is evidently influential even during the dating

period or before couple’s marriage. Despite these relationships between the variables

appearing highly bidirectional, there is a clear indication that adolescents are

developmentally shaped by various experiences and observations of their parents’

romantic relationships.

2.6 Relationship between parental conflict and relationships satisfaction in young

adults

Relationship satisfactions during adolescence romantic period has also been identified as

another metric highly influenced by parental conflicts. The best outcomes have been

identified from longitudinal studies which have indicated a positive correlation between

these two variables. A key study was conducted by Milevsky (2005) indicated the crucial

role played by siblings closeness, support, and comfort on creating and maintaining

relationship satisfaction during the later years of an adolescent. Again, Bowlby (1978)

theory indicated how the need for room to experience and express emotions is created by

siblings and how this is the main root for experiencing romantic relationship satisfaction

during the young adulthood. Overall, siblings give a unique platform and buffer for

young adults to become satisfied in their relationships. However, this could easily be

affected if there are constant interparental conflicts within the family (Feeney, 2006).

Interparental conflicts is the main moderator on how siblings relate with one another and

how this will later affect the young adults’ romantic satisfactions in later day.

2.7 Present study

25
 Although there are many pieces of research indicating that interparental conflicts

play a crucial role in determining the quality of romantic relationships during adolescence

or later in marriage, there is still little or hardly sufficient attention paid to how these two

variables link with one another various mechanisms linking them. Also, previous research

has heavily focused on Whites or American society, leaving room for more studies on the

Black community to explore whether this evidence replicates in the Black culture.

Therefore, there is still a need to research emerging adults' quality of romantic

relationships in our society to understand better the functioning of romantic relationships

at an early age. While studies examine the relationship between interparental conflicts

and adolescent adjustments in society (Philbrook et al., 2018 & Cummings et al., 2014),

the current research will explicitly examine the indirect effects of interparental arguments

on young adults adult's romantic satisfaction. Based on various studies and theories

explored in this chapter, we hypothesize that intense interparental conflicts mediate

young adults' romantic relationship quality.

26
 CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Research Design

Descriptive survey and correlational research designs will be adopted for this study.

Descriptive research design is used to gather information on the nature or condition of a

present situation .It is also used to uncover new facts and meaning of a research. (Kabir

2016).The use of the design is advantageous in that a combination of procedures such as

questionnaires, interviews and observations are employed providing an opportunity for

triangulation (Kombo & Tromp, 2006). Correlational design will be used because it

attempts to explore relationships to make predictions (Kabir 2016). It uses one set of

subjects with two or more variables for each. (Cresswell, 2009). The use of the design

maximizes the generalizability to situations because it measures variables in their natural

settings (Steg, Buunk & Rothengatter, 2008). The combination of descriptive survey and

correlational research designs in this study therefore enables the investigator to collect

relevant information from many subjects in a short time and subsequently analyze

relationships between meaning made by the young adults whose families have

Interparental conflicts(McLeod, 2014).

3.2 Area of Study

This study will be conducted in six higher institutions in Taita Taveta County in Kenya,

the schools were selected using simple random technique because every institution had an

equal chance.

27
Taita–Taveta County (previously known as Taita Taveta District) is a county of Kenya. It

lies approximately 140 km northwest of Mombasa and 380 km southeast of Nairobi. The

County headquarters are located in Mwatate, which is central to the county.

The population of the county was 340,671 persons according to the 2019 national

census with population densities ranging from 14 persons per km2 to more than 117

persons per km2. 

Voi is the largest town in Taita-Taveta County in southern Kenya, in the former Coast

Province. Geographically located at Latitude: -3°23'45.78"S and Longitude: 38° 33'

21.92" E It lies at the western edge of the Taru Desert, south and west of the Tsavo East

National Park. The Sagala Hills are to the south. Voi is a marketplace for agricultural and

meat products from the fertile Taita Hills as well as the surrounding areas. Voi's town

centre consists mostly of general stores, shops, markets, kiosks and hotels. Most lodges

that service tourists for the national parks are located in the suburbs at the edge of town

3.3 Study Population

The study population will comprise of students in Higher Institutions like Polytechnics,

universities, and colleges within Taita Taveta County: Voi constituency. Specifically, the

study population will involve 100 students’ participants. The students to be sampled will

be doing various courses form all faculty. The sampled respondents should be in a

relationship or they have ever been in a relationship or planning to be in a relationship,

this will put them in a better position of giving informed opinions and views on romantic

relationship.

28
3.4 Sample and sampling technique

A total population of the higher institutions within Voi the researcher will have to find

randomly. The institutions will be identified. The categories of which courses they belong

will be stratified.

The researcher will use precision of estimation to calculate the sample size. This ensured

that estimates were obtained within required precision, accuracy and level of confidence

(Schönbrodt, & Perugini, 2013). The use of precision of estimation is recommended by

Kelley and Maxwell, (2003) and Maxwell, Kelley and Rausch (2008) for its significance

and fairness in accuracy.

n = z 2
p*q*N
e (N-1) + z2p*q
2

Where, N = Population

N = Sample size

e = Sampling error / alpha error/ confidence interval (2% 0r 0.02)

z = 2.005 = (as per table of area under normal curve for the given confidence level

of 99.5 %)

p = 0.02 (Proportion of defectives within the universe)

q = 1-p

3.6 Data Collection Instruments

Data will be collected using questionnaires and focused group interview schedules.

3.6.1 Questionnaires

There will be a questionnaire for individual interviews

29
The questionnaire will be administered personally by the researcher. This questionnaire

comprised of closed-ended questions involves the Marital Attitude Scale,

3.6.2 Interview Schedules

The questionnaire comprises of closed-ended questions and open ended questions so as to

allow the researcher gather more data on the research questions. The researcher recorded

the responses with permission from the respondents.

3.7 Validity and Reliability of the Instruments

3.7.1 Validity

Validity refers to the degree to which results obtained from analysis of data actually

represent the phenomenon under study (Mugenda & Mugenda, 2003). In this study, face

and content validity will be considered. Face validity is a qualitative means of

ascertaining whether a measure on the face of it appears to reflect the content of a

concept (Bryman & Bell, 2003). Content validity, on the other hand, is a qualitative

means of ensuring that a measure includes an adequate and representative set of items to

cover a concept (Drost, 2011). The determination of the face and content validity of the

research instruments in this study will guarantee accuracy and connection among the

questions asked and variables measured. Normally, face and content validity are ensured

by obtaining subjective judgments by the experts in the concerned field (Bryman & Bell,

2003; Sekaran, 2003). The research instruments for this study will be presented to experts

in the School of Social Science who will judge the face and content validity of the

instruments independently and make recommendations.

3.7.2 Reliability

30
According to Best and Kahn (2006), reliability refers to the extent to which a research

instrument measures whatever it is meant to measure consistently. To ensure reliability of

the questionnaire, a pilot study will be carried out for the purpose of pre-testing it and to

determine; if it would provide the data necessary for this study, if it would identify any

problems respondents could encounter in completing the questionnaire and the clarity of

the questionnaire to the respondents. The results of the pilot study will give rise to

suggestions which will be included to the revised final questionnaire.

3.8 Data Analysis

Quantitative data to be collected from close-ended questionnaire items, interview

schedules will be analyzed using descriptive statistics such as means, frequency counts

and percentages. It will be presented using frequency tables, frequency distribution, pie

chart, coding, percentages and pie charts. Qualitative data to be collected from open-

ended questions, will be analyzed and organized in an ongoing process according to the

themes, sub-themes, categories and sub-categories that emerged.

3.10 Research Ethics

The researcher will follow standards of research ethics. These include requiring

respondents to voluntary accept to participate in the research; ensuring participants are

informed about the risks involved in the research of which they must consent and assure

participants of confidentiality they use.

31
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40
 APPENDICES

Appendix I: Work Plan

Activities

JUNE-2021 June-2021 August 2021 September October

Proposal Writing

Proposal Presentation

Data Collection

Data Analysis

Thesis Writing

Thesis Submission

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 Appendix II: Budget

Item Quantity Cost (Kshs) Total (Kshs)

1. Personnel
1 @ 5,000.00 5000.00

2. Materials
Photocopy paper 2 reams @ 550.00 1,650.00
Ball pens 5 @ 15.00 90.00
Foolscap 1 ream @ 300.00 300.00
Calling card (Telkom) 1,000.00
Scratch card 2,000.00
Internet 2,000.00

3.Travel expenses
1 field assistant 4000.00

4.Data analysis
Statistical analysis 6000.00

5. Report Preparation
Typing 5,000.00
Printing
Binding

Total 26415.00

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 Appendix III: Marital Attitude Scale

Instructions: Please indicate by circling how strongly you agree or disagree with each of
the following statements regarding marriage.
0 1 2 3
People should marry
I have little confidence that my marriage will be a success
People should stay married to their spouses for the rest of their lives.
Most couples are either unhappy in their marriage or are divorced.
I will be satisfied when I get married
I am fearful of marriage
I have doubts about marriage.
People should only get married if they are sure that it will last forever
People should feel very cautious about entering into a marriage.
Most marriages are unhappy situations.
Marriage is only a legal contract.
Marriage is a sacred act
Most marriages aren't equal partnerships
Most people have to sacrifice too much in marriage
Because half of all marriages end in divorce, marriage seems futile
If I divorce, I would probably remarry
If I divorce, I would probably remarry
Because half of all marriages end in divorce, marriage seems futile.
When people don't get along, I believe they should divorce.
I believe a relationship can be just as strong without having to go
through the marriage ceremony.
My lifelong dream includes a happy marriage.
There is not such a thing as a happy marriage.
Marriage restricts individuals from achieving their goals
People weren't meant to stay in one relationship for their entire lives.
Marriage provides companionship that is missing from other types of
relationships

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ANSWER KEY: 0=Strongly Agree; 1=Agree; 2=Disagree; 3=Strongly Disagree
Appendix IV: Relationship Assessment Scale

1. How well does your partner meet your needs?

A. Poorly { } B. Extremely Well { }

2. In general, how satisfied are you with your relationship?

A. Unsatisfied { } B. Extremely Satisfied { }

3. How good is your relationship compared to most?

A. Poor { } B. Excellent { }

4. How often do you wish you hadn't gotten into this relationship?
A. Never { } B. Very Often { }

5. To what extent has your relationship met your original expectations?

A. Hardly at All { } B. Completely { }

6. How much do you love your partner?

A. Not Much { } B. Very Much { }

7. How many problems are there in your relationship?

A. Very Few { } B. Very Many { }

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 Appendix V: Relationship Confidence Scale

Please answer each question below by indicating how strongly you agree or disagree with
the idea expressed related to your marriage or dating relationship.
You can circle any number from1 to 7 to indicate various levels of agreement or
disagreement with the idea expressed.
VARIABLE 1 2 3
I believe we can handle whatever conflicts will arise in the future
I don’t have much confidence in the future of my relationship.
I am not sure we can make this relationship work for the long haul
I feel good about our prospects to make this relationship work for a lifetime
We may not have what it takes to keep this relationship going.
We can handle just about anything that comes our way
I am not sure that we can avoid divorce or breaking up in the future.
I am very confident when I think of our future together1
We have the skills a couple needs to make a marriage last
Our risk for divorce or breakup is probably greater than average
I believe we can handle whatever conflicts will arise in the future
I don’t have much confidence in the future of my relationship.
We may not have what it takes to keep this relationship going
I feel good about our prospects to make this relationship work for a lifetime
We can handle just about anything that comes our way.
I am not sure that we can avoid divorce or breaking up in the future
I am very confident when I think of our future together
We have the skills a couple needs to make a marriage last
Our risk for divorce or breakup is probably greater than average. 1
Please answer each item, and complete this independently of your partner.
1 = Strongly Disagree, 2 Neither Agree or Disagree, 3 Strongly agree

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